Cornwall’s Hotels Bookings Climb In Strong First Six Months of 2010

Holiday businesses in Cornwall have benefited from improved economic confidence, the effects of the ash cloud crisis and continued weakness in the pound with new figures showing hotel occupancy up 3.5% in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2009.

The figures have been published by the tourism team at accountants Winter Rule who have been surveying the Cornish hotel sector every month for the last 20 years. They use the data to keep tourism clients informed about the very latest trends.

The latest figures show occupancy rates to June this year are now only marginally below pre-credit crunch levels of 2007, with 58% of businesses on the database reporting bookings up on the same point in 2009. Figures for the month of June 2010 show a 7% rise on June 2009.

Tom Roach, partner at Winter Rule and tourism team leader, said: “The first signs of improvements in hotel occupancies was around September 2009 and this year, with the exception of January, when we had an exceptionally cold spell, every month has shown an improvement on the previous year.  Occupancy rates to June this year are now only marginally below 2007 levels.”

Tom said positive external factors, including early good weather, had outweighed the potential negative effects of uncertainties surrounding the election, the World Cup and memories of rain in recent years. 

He added: ‘With such a promising start to the holiday season it is hoped that this trend continues.  The pound looked to be strengthening against the Euro which was a worrying sign however it seems to have fallen again since the beginning of July, giving an added advantage to the tourist industry in Cornwall.  August, which is of course the peak month for many hotels in Cornwall, has particularly suffered over the last two years.  However, early indications from booking levels would appear to be encouraging.”  

The Winter Rule monthly hotel survey covers 25 of Cornwall’s key hotels of different sizes and markets which between them offer more than 800,000 bed nights a year.

Source: Deborah Clark Associates

Image: The Scarlet Hotel